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Running a business, managing a team, or juggling multiple responsibilities can feel like an uphill battle. However, creating a more organised workflow will provide you with the freedom you crave and the success you deserve.
Time can easily slip away from us if we let it. How often have you looked at your calendar on a Friday and wondered where the week has gone?
If you desire more time to spend with family, on travel, or to build a business where you can work from anywhere, then you need to master your time management.
The benefits of better time organisation
To create a lifestyle that aligns with your personal and professional goals, you need to think about your time and tasks more efficiently. When you implement better strategies, you can:
- Enjoy the freedom to work from anywhere, because your schedule is less chaotic and more predictable and organised.
- Spend more time on activities that bring you joy, without sacrificing your productivity.
- Feel more empowered to travel or take time off more, often because you’ve built a business that runs on systems without you being there all the time.
How to organise your time effectively
Step 1: As with everything in the Woman Who community, I always start with a planning session.
Take half an hour every Sunday or Monday morning to map out your week so you can set your intentions and have a clear focus on what you want to achieve. Doing this helps you avoid that mid-week overwhelm. Put this time in your diary and be loyal to it. Successful entrepreneurs start with a plan!
I use my planning sessions to prioritise my tasks, schedule any meetings or events, boost my business efficiency, and slot in time for my client work and membership tasks.
Start by creating a priority level system: High, Medium, and Low. Only put three tasks in your high priority category per day; otherwise, you’ll set yourself up for burnout.
When you know what’s coming up, you can make confident decisions on what to focus on each day, saving you hours of wasted time and last-minute rescheduling.
Step 2: Learn to delegate without the guilt!
Letting go of specific tasks can be difficult, but if you want to grow your business, you need to assess your workload and hand over those duties that eat into your time. From simple routine administration tasks to planning events, plenty of tasks can be delegated to your team or outsourced to a virtual assistant. The Woman Who Solopreneur Awards wouldn’t have run so smoothly without the tireless dedication of my VA/EA/EverythingA, Katy Osborne!
Start by doing an audit of what you do in a week. Make a list of three tasks you could delegate to someone else immediately. Once you explain clearly what needs to be done and set your expectations, you can hand this over.
The hardest part for me was handing over the reigns and realising that someone else may do it a little different to me, however, it’s frequently so much better!
Freeing up small pockets of time like this enables you to work on activities that bring in the clients and the cash. You’ll be able to focus on planning, creative tasks, and nurturing your client relationships.
Step 3: Try time-blocking to reclaim your focus.
Time-blocking lets you divide your day into specific slots dedicated to tasks. It’s a great way to avoid procrastination and multitasking (another form of procrastination). You get to focus on one thing at a time. Time-blocking is great for high-energy work, meetings, and admin tasks.
Start by allocating time blocks in your calendar for specific projects. For example, I block out an hour every Sunday to plan my week. You might block out Monday morning for content creation or Tuesday afternoon for client calls. I also block out whole days for doing similar tasks such as recording podcast episodes.
Time-blocking is a wonderful way to avoid distractions and ensure your key tasks get the attention they need.
Step 4: Create a non-negotiable well-being list.
Self-care can be pushed to the bottom of the pile when you have a million things on your to-do list. Creating space for your well-being and mental or physical health is essential. Writing a non-negotiable list gives you a set of personal values or ‘rules’ to follow, including a daily walk, lunch with friends, a four-day week, or a weekend trip. Add these non-negotiables to your calendar first and fit your business around them.
I always block out my holidays, time with family and friends first, before I put in anything else. I’ve already put all my 2025 holidays in the diary for my own well-being.
Start by choosing three non-negotiable activities for the upcoming week. Block them off on your calendar and treat them like a client meeting or a dentist appointment.
When you actively plan your rest and relaxation, you’ll feel more energised for work. Be disciplined with this, and you’ll see the benefits in your energy, creativity, and productivity.
Take control of your time, take control of your business
It will require some effort to implement these time management strategies, but once you get them in place you’ll notice a shift in how much easier your work and life becomes.
- Start small! Pick one thing to focus on this week and then build from that foundation. It’s worth the effort to feel more organised and in control.
- With your new flexibility and freedom, you’ll have more time for your passion projects, creativity, and business growth.
- Make this the month you take control of your time and regain control of your business.
Woman Who Inspires Network
Each month, Woman Who hosts the Woman Who Inspires Online Network, and tickets to our November event are now live.
Monday 4th November 2024, 9.30am – 10.30am (BST)
Book your ticket HERE
With Woman Who events, networking, inspirational speakers, and learning will be included with this month’s theme, Organising Your Time.
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